


Reprise

by cymraeg



Category: Dragon Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-06
Updated: 2011-11-06
Packaged: 2017-10-25 18:12:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/273258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cymraeg/pseuds/cymraeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was written for the kinkmeme a while back. Original prompt was a request for the DA2 cast as supernatural creatures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reprise

They entered the old mansion cautiously, Fenris motioning at the others to be alert. He wasn't sure what to expect.

The others - Hawke, Varric and Bethany - _were_ alert, although they knew exactly what to expect.

Fenris stopped to shout something challenging at Danarius. Hawke had already moved up and kicked open the door to the next dilapidated chamber. "Traps," he muttered. "On it," replied Varric, swiftly moving to disarm them.

"Eight shades. Fenris and Varric, four to the left; me and Bethy, four to the right." They flowed smoothly into position, dispatching the shades with little difficulty. Hawke leaned on his greatsword and waited.

"He sends spirits to do his fighting for him," Fenris snarled. Behind the elf, Hawke could see Bethany and Varric both mouthing the words along with Fenris. " _Danarius_! Can you hear me?! Your pets cannot stop us!" Varric rolled his eyes.

They continued through the main hall, pausing automatically for Varric to disarm the traps there, then eliminated the shades and rage demon. When Fenris started to charge up the stairs Hawke called him back. "We should finish exploring the first floor first, for efficiency's sake if nothing else," he said with a sardonic grin. The elf nodded and prowled through the door on the other side of the hall. Traps, shades, shades, chests. Hawke flipped all the chests open out of habit but didn't bother taking of the contents - at least until the last room, when the cindery corpse of a rage demon relinquished the key. "Finally," muttered Varric. "Did you have anything more pressing tonight?" asked Hawke. Varric just grimaced and reloaded Bianca.

Back to the main hall; Fenris charged up the staircase with the other three trailing desultorily after him. At the top Hawke tossed Fenris the key, then took up position facing out on the balcony with Varric and Bethany to either side. As soon as he heard the tumblers turn in the lock the Arcane Horror appeared; despite Fenris's shout of alarm, Varric and Bethany were already firing off bolts and magic, respectively, and Hawke was charging forward to meet the creature with his sword. They made short work of it, as well as the inevitable shades which appeared in the hall to back it up.

Once all the enemies were dead - again - Hawke leaned on his sword and waited. This time it was he who mouthed along with Fenris, although he kept his head lowered so the elf couldn't see. "Gone. I had hoped - no, it doesn't matter any longer. I assume Danarius left valuables. Take them if you wish. I need some air." The elf slipped away toward the exit they had used.

"Sweet maker," said Bethany. "How many times are we going to do this?"

Hawke shook his head. "I don't know. Till he figures it out, I guess."

"Can you try talking to him again, Hawke?" asked Varric. "Once or twice a month was bad enough, but this is getting more and more frequent."

"Maybe it means he's beginning to suspect," Hawke said, frowning. "But yes, I'll talk to him. Why don't you two head out the back? Bethy won't have to listen to the viper speech and I'll meet you at the Hanged Man in a bit."

"Sounds good," said Varric, and he and Bethany headed off.

***

Hawke stepped out into the cool night air, spotting Fenris leaning against a nearby wall. The elf opened his mouth to begin diatribing on the nature of escaping from one magical servitude into another, but Hawke cut him off.

"You can't keep doing this, Fenris," he said. "We - _I_ can't keep doing it."

Fenris scowled at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Hawke moved closer to him. The elf was stunning, as always, and the waste of such a creature for a magister's wounded pride made his heart clench in anger.

"I know you want to change what happened to you here, Fenris," he said softly. "You asked me to come and help you that night, and I didn't, so you went alone, and Danarius caught you. But you have to let go. You have to move on."

"Move on?" Fenris asked incredulously, but there was doubt in his eyes. That was new and heartening. "No, I intend to wait here until Danarius returns to claim me, and then rip his still beating heart from his chest."

"He's not coming," Hawke said urgently. "He's been here and gone. He caught you, and took what he wanted from you. And I'm sorry I wasn't here then, the one time it mattered...I would have saved you, if I could have."

"I don't need to be saved," said Fenris looking around wildly.

"Fenris, please listen to me. No one is stopping you from moving on."

Fenris covered his face with both hands and bowed his shoulders. For a moment, Hawke thought he'd managed to get through, but when Fenris straightened again, the doubt in his eyes was gone.

"Thank you for your assistance, Hawke. Know that should you ever have need of me, I will be here." He smiled - a beautiful, heartbreaking smile - and slipped back inside his mansion.

"I know," Hawke said to the closed door.

He sighed then and headed down toward the Hanged Man, thinking of ways to convince Varric and Bethany to come along the next time Fenris needed to clear out the mansion. And the time after that. And the time after that. Until maybe the elf finally understood that he didn't need to be tethered to this place where he had died.

Hawke owed him that much, at least.


End file.
